CANDABA, Pampanga, Feb. 6 (PNA) – Vice President Noli De Castro expressed his admiration to the celebration of the two-day 3rd Ibon-Ebon Festival here which kicked off Friday.

The festival, also known as “Bird and Egg Festival”, has been attended by more or less 10,000 participants and guests, breaking all festival records in the entire Luzon.

The annual event has proven to be a big hit in terms of colors, uniqueness, number of participants who all came from the 33 villages here and guests from the different universities and colleges in the province and in Metro Manila.

This developed as the Ibon–Ebon Festival is now officially recognized as a national Philippine festival after it has been “successfully” celebrated for three consecutive years.

The almost one-kilometer parade from Candaba Town Plaza to Miss Earth Park started from 7:30 to 11:30 in the morning.

De Castro who signaled the formal opening of the festival said Mayor Jerry Pelayo has marked this bird sanctuary again into the World Map not only on the aspect of wild bird and environment protection but also in promoting tourism and cultural heritage that can be passed through generation.

He said other local governments should learn from Candaba particularly on the way they promote and make the people aware on the importance of protecting and promoting biodiversity while encouraging the people to become more productive.

Senatorial bet Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos said this was his first time to see a “very successful” festival in the entire Luzon as he expressed his appreciation to the warm welcome given by the people here.

“The celebration of the 3rd Ibon-Ebon Festival in this town has proved to be big hit as the number of participants and guests has increase for about five times compared to the previous,” Pelayo said.

Pelayo said the Ibon-Ebon Festival is not only institutionalized, it was instilled firmly in the minds and hearts of the youth and their families.

The Ibon-Ebon Festival, has proven to be not just a showcase of more than 40 species of birds and tons of eggs laid, but it was a reunion of families and balikbayans from abroad, Pelayo said.

“There are people who went home from US and other countries to personally witness the ongoing ibon-ebon festival which they also watched in television and read in the newspapers,” Pelayo said.

The celebration was highlighted with the presentation of high school talents and street dancers in bird costume, parade of floats and delegates from the 33 barangays, hot air balloon exhibit, kite flying contest, trade fair, special band concert, parade of best dressed itik, special tribu performances, Itik race, Itik Cooking contest, exhibition of ultra light and RC planes show and boat race.

Booths are put up in the trade fair that features agricultural products of varieties of freshly harvested vegetables from rich lands of the region, and fishery and other aquatic produce such as tilapia, hito and dalagang bukid, among many others. (PNA)